


and the Long Lost Brother Job

by SheWhoIsFierce



Category: Leverage, The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: Brother Feels, Gen, Hospitalization, Hospitals, Protective Eve Baird, Team Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2018-10-26
Packaged: 2019-08-05 16:10:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16370825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheWhoIsFierce/pseuds/SheWhoIsFierce
Summary: The minotaur did more damage to Jake than the Librarians first realized, damage he couldn't just walk off.When Eliot had Hardison update the phone number every time he changed numbers or they burned identities and phones, he had never imagined he would be gettingthiscall. And what on earth was Jakey doing in Portland?





	and the Long Lost Brother Job

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this little gem has been sitting in a notebook for over a year. And the plot bunny was rattling around in my brain for a while before that. I wrote this in the period of time after I graduated college, during which I was at home putting myself back together and getting my head on properly again, and then it just sat. No beta, unless you count my sister reading it (and being frustrated at me for writing the scenes backwards) and not hating it or dragging me for grammar mistakes. So yay! Let me know what you think, lovelies. Also, I am totally not at all involved in the medical field and have a limited knowledge of how things work (basically what I hear my aunt/uncle talk about from their jobs, or what I can google/research), so don't burn me at the stake for any inaccuracies. Just mark it down to creative license, okay?
> 
> And for those of you who follow my because 'verse, don't panic, it's not abandoned! I just had to struggle through some things—and make sure the dialogue was satisfactory—but you can expect the next part up within a week!

Jake lifted his had to rub his neck awkwardly in response to Jones' needling, but the twinge of pain in his chest suddenly became sharp. He lowered his arm as quick as he dared. Great, cracked ribs was just what he needed. Jones clapped him on the back, and Jake decided walking away was a better idea than punching the thief in the face. He was almost to the doors leading out of the main room of the Annex, when the pain in his chest became sharp again. Tight bands seemed to wrap around his chest, and Jake found he could hardly breathe. Suddenly, he was staring at the ceiling as the world went black. The last thing he remembered was hearing someone yelling.

  


The averageness of the day bothered Eliot. He'd had a bad feeling since he woke up, and the odd tranquility of the day sat wrongly with him. Which led to his "stress cooking" as Hardison called it. Parker perched on the counter, stealing bits of the various vegetables Eliot was chopping. He would swat at her hand, but it was mostly for show, Parker was good at getting him out of his head. Besides, he was over-chopping anyway. There was already enough for a triple recipe of soup, but Eliot kept at it, needing the calm, repetitive motion of the knife to soothe him.

The ringing of the phone turned Eliot's stomach to lead. The bad feeling he'd had since waking intensified. He knew Parker was just fine, she was sitting on the counter in front of him, and Hardison was upstairs coming up with more crackpot beer recipes and doing client research, but Nate and Sophie...

"Spencer," he answered the phone.

"Mr. Spencer, this is Nurse Ellington from OSHU Hospital in Portland. We are calling to inform you that your brother, Jacob Stone, has been admitted."

"What happened?" Eliot demanded. This... was not what he'd expected, but it was so much worse than what he was hoping for.

"Mr. Stone was admitted with a punctured lung, and is currently in surgery."

"I'm on my way, " Eliot gritted out, disconnecting the call. His hands were shaking as he set down his knife and phone. A small hand grabbed his. He looked up to see Parker's face creased in concern.

"I'll drive," she said. "Let's go get Hardison and Lola's keys."

Eliot let Parker lead him upstairs. His mind was racing. A punctured lung? And what the _hell was Jakey doing in Portland?!?_

  


Eve Baird, former Colonel with NATO counter-terrorism, has let some of the tension in her body go. She's taken a step back, out of her hyper-vigilant soldier mode, able to relax slightly now that she knows Stone has pulled through surgery. Eve leans over, her elbows resting on her knees, head hanging loose. Jones and Cassandra are abviously relieved as well. Now it's just a waiting game to see when they will be allowed to see Stone.

There's a couple sitting a few feet away, they seem to be discussing whoever (or whatever) they're here for. The woman is of medium build, and has straight, blonde hair with wispy bangs. Her forehead is wrinkled, likely with concern, and Eve guesses the man with her is attempting to placate and calm her. He's dark skinned and if he stood, would likely be quite tall. Without really meaning to, Eve overhears their conversation (Okay, so maybe she hasn't totally shut off that hyper-vigilant soldier part of her yet).

"—but Eliot doesn't _like_ hospitals," the woman is saying.

" I know, mama," the man soothes. "But this is important. And I think Eliot's gonna be okay. He isn't here because he needs doctors to be poking at him. Makes a difference."

"I didn't know Eliot had a brother. Do you think he changed his name because he didn't like it?"

"I didn't know this guy was his brother, but he's asked me to update his emergency contact info, usually whenever we have to move, or when Eliot gets a new phone. I'd guess he changed his name for a lot of reasons, Parker."

That name stirs something in Eve's mind, but she dismisses it as Stone's doctor has just walked through the doors once more. She gets up to go meet him.

"Colonel Baird," he greets. "As I told you before, Mr. Stone pulled through surgery just fine. We've got him in a room now. I expect him to make a full recovery."

"Thank you, doctor," Eve sighs. "When can we see him?"

"Well, his brother is in with him now, but I wouldn't expect him to have any issue with you and your colleagues visit."

"Of course, thank you." Eve struggles to keep her face neutral. A brother? Possible, but any brothers are likely to be living in Stone's hometown in Oklahoma. No way anyone could have gotten from Oklahoma to Portland so quickly. Eve's mind was whirring as she made her way back to Cassandra and Jones. She passed the couple she'd overheard earlier, and more of their conversation reached her ears.

"Are you _sure _Eliot will be okay?__"

 

"Girl, if there's one thing I've learned working with him, it's that Eliot Spencer can handle anything he sets his mind to."

And it's that name that makes Eve's blood turn to ice in her veins. She knows that name. The pieces fall into place in her head. Eliot Spencer isn't someone she's ever met (she counts herself lucky), but she's heard the stories. A gifted soldier get disillusioned and falls in with a bad crowd. Goes as bad as you can go. Most stories she's heard are third- or forth-hand, and Eve's sure they were embellished, but she knows what kind of monster Eliot Spencer is. And he's here for Jacob.

She quickly closes the distance between her and her team, crouching down in front of them.

"Listen up. Stone is going to be fine, but we've got a bit of a situation. Someone very dangerous is here." Eve holds up her hand as the two open their mouths to speak, likely to ask a million questions. "Not magic affiliated. Just a regular human monster. I need you to stay here and keep an eye on those two." She subtly motions to the couple who'd been talking about Spencer. Cassandra and Jones both nod. Eve huffs out a breath. "I'll be back," she promises. _I hope,_ she adds silently to herself. Now she just needs to find a way to Stone's room.

  


Things came back slowly. On the bright side, Jake didn't hurt nearly as bad as the last time he remembered being conscious. On the other hand, there were beeping machines nearby, and the distinct smell of hospital in the air. Jake groaned as he forced his eyes open. The shock of seeing who was slouched in the chair next to his bed nearly made him pass out again.

"Eliot?!"

"Hey, Jakey." Eliot gave him a small grin. He reached his hand out, but hesitated before he actually touched Jake. When he realized there would be no protest coming, he gently laid his palm on Jake's forehead. Jake closed his eyes as Eliot brushed his hair back, reveling in his big brother's presence.

"How...? Where...?" Jake could hardly decide what he wanted to ask first. He opened his eyes to Eliot's chuckling.

"I...know a guy. He helped me update my phone number in your emergency contact info. My team and I have been based in Portland for a while. Though I do want to hear the story behind all this." Eliot gestured to Jake's torso. "Punctured lung? And Portland?"

"It's...a real long story, El."

Eliot's eyes got sad."I'm so sorry I haven't been around, Jakey. I know my leaving would have been hard on you anyway, but the way I left things, especially with dad...I'm sorry. At first I was just too mad, but then things got complicated, and I told myself it was too dangerous."

"Are you gonna leave again?" Jake's voice sounds small even to his own ears. It's just...he spent a lot of time being absolutely _furious_ (and okay, slightly jealous) at his big brother for leaving, but now... He understands. Also, he's really missed Eliot.

" No, Jakey. I'm not leaving you." Eliot resumes stroking Jake's hair, and _damn_ does that feel good. Of course, that's when it all goes to hell.

  


Eve peers through the window in the door, and pauses at what she sees. Spencer is...petting Stone? Shaking her head to clear it, Eve takes a deep, fortifying breath. Then she opens the door, raising her gun with her free hand.

"Hands up, Spencer. And back away slowly." Eve feels some amount of satisfaction as Spencer freezes and slowly lifts his hands into the air.

"Colonel Baird? What...? Eliot, what's going on?" Stone sounds slightly hazy, but mostly confused. And does he actually _know_ Spencer?!?

" It's alright, Jakey," Spencer says in a low voice. "Everything's gonna be fine. You know her?"

"She's our Guardian," Stone says, eyes flickering between Eve and Spencer. Eve still hasn't lowered her gun, or moved her eyes from Spencer's back.

"Turn around," she commands. Spencer's hands flex slightly, and it almost seems like he's going to refuse. Except then he does turn and Eve nearly drops her gun in shock. Because save for the length of his hair, Eliot Spencer is a carbon copy of Jacob Stone.

  


Eliot Spencer was not having the best day. It had started off well—save his awful feeling of something being wrong—but getting a call your baby brother was in the hospital would ruin anyone's mood (especially when said baby brother was supposed to be safe in your hometown in Oklahoma, not in Portland for unknown reasons). And now there was an unknown blonde woman pointing a gun at him. Apparently, Jake was on friendly terms with the woman, Colonel Baird, if his brother was to be believed (or if she hadn't lied and given Jakey a fake name). He didn't doubt she was military, that much was true, evident in her bearing and the way she stood, held her gun, even the way she was handling this situation. Some kind of special training, if Eliot had to guess.

"Eliot! What's going on?" Jake repeated, voice marginally stronger. This would have to be quick, Jake would be just fine according to the doctor, but Eliot knew he shouldn't push his baby brother too much too soon.

"I'm guessing your friend here has heard some things about me. Things that fall under complicated and too dangerous," Eliot sighed. "Alright, listen, I'm going to call my team, and I swear we can explain everything. But this is a long story, and Jakey needs rest. We can talk somewhere not here."

"Eliot, no! I need to know, and...and.." Jakey cried, distressed. And gun or no, Eliot turned to comfort his brother.

"Hey, shh, no. I ain't leavin' ya, Jakey. I swear. We'll straighten things out here, and I'll bring the others back to meet you. And I still want to hear that story. You rest, I'll be back," Eliot said, brushing Jake's hair back again. Jake stared hard, flicked his eyes to the woman, back to Eliot, then nodded. He let his eyes slip closed and Eliot stepped back, turning back to the woman.

"Let's go," he muttered lowly, already on his was out the door, back to Parker and Hardison.

  


Parker spotted him first. She elbowed Hardison, then made a beeline straight to him. Eliot saw a petite redheaded girl startle at the sudden movement out of the corner of his eye, but dismissed it because Parker had unerringly found a still tender bruise and was poking at it. He slapped at her hand.

"Dammit, Parker! Cut it out!"

"Well?" she demands.

"Jakey's gonna be fine, I'm fine, we just need to have a conversation with Colonel Baird, here," Eliot tells her gruffly. He continues walking to where Hardison is still sitting, rubbing his ribs where Parker had elbowed him.

"Woman! What have we said about damaging your crew! There are rules—"

"Dammit, Hardison, shut up," Eliot cuts him off. He doesn't have time for a rant, and once the hacker really gets going, he can go for hours. "Like I told Parker, we need to have a conversation with the colonel here. Jakey's resting, but I need to get back and I ain't got time for your nonsense."

Hardison meets Eliot's eyes, and maybe he can sense how much Eliot needs him to let this go, because with a nod, he does. Eliot runs a hand through his hair. "Right," he says. "Where's the rest of your team?"

"How did you...?" Baird questions, surprise evident.

"Jake said 'our'. When I asked him if he knew you. 'Our Guardian'."

Baird rolled her eyes and waves over the jumpy redhead and her dark haired companion. "This is Ezekiel Jones and Cassandra Cillian. Jones, Cassandra, this is Eliot Spencer," she says as they approach.

"Ezekiel Jones, wanted thief?" Hardison asks.

"The one and only, mate," drawls the dark headed boy.

"You know this guy?" Eliot asks.

"Yeah, man. I mean, kinda? He pinged on Nate's radar a few years ago. He had me dig some stuff up." Hardison shrugs. "During that whole Batcave thing, I pitched using him instead of Chaos, but he ain't on our level and time _was_ a factor there, so..."

" Excuse you, mate. Ezekiel Jones is the best," Jones says, straightening his jacket. Before Parker can start in, Eliot interjects.

"Whatever, kid. Parker, can it. Let's just get this over with." Eliot inhales deeply (He ignores Jones exclaiming "Parker?!? _The_ Parker?!?" ). "From your reaction, I'd guess you heard some stories about me?" He directs this question to Baird. She nods firmly with a glare. The other two look confused, but it seems Hardison and Parker have gotten the gist of what's happening at least. For the benefit of Baird's charges, Eliot summarizes, "Jones probably knows this, but in the world of thieves there are different specialties. I'm what they call a hitter, retrieval specialist if you want to be fancy about it."

"What Eliot means to say is that on our first job together, I told him 'I don't even know what you _do_ ' and when security decided to do their rounds early, it took him the time it took me to raise my hands and drop my gear to the ground to disable and disarm two guys, and then he grins all smug and says 'that's what I do,'" Hardison interjects. Eliot growls lowly and continues with his story.

"Well after that first job Hardison mentioned, the three of us and Nate—Nate Ford—got double crossed, so we decided to het back at the guy who'd hired and tried to kill us. So Nate recruited Sophie and we stole back the stuff we'd been hired to steal in the first place. After that... We just sort of kept being a crew. We're Leverage Consulting."

"Wait a minute. You're telling me you're a part of Nathan Ford's crew?!? Insurance investigator turned thief? _That_ Nate Ford?" Jones exclaims.

" Yeah, man, though Nate and Sophie are kind of retired now. Mostly," Hardison said.

"So you're still thieves and con men," Baird said flatly.

Hardison shifts. "Uh, yeah. Kinda."

"Because sometimes bad guys make the best good guys," Parker pipes up. Eliot stares at Baird.

"Whatever you heard about me," he says, "I don't do that anymore. Leverage is the reason I'm not the man you've heard about anymore."

"Still doesn't explain how you know Stone," Baird argues. Eliot rolls his eyes.

"Jake's my kid brother," he admits reluctantly. "When I left home to enlist, I used my mother's maiden name. I was so pissed off at my old man, that at first it was just about not wanting to be found. And then things got dangerous for people connected to me, so not using my real last name kept my family safe."

"Ha!" shouts Parker. "I was right," she told Hardison. "Eliot changed his name because he didn't like it."

Hardison stared at her incredulously while Eliot rolled his eyes.

"Look," he said. "Parker and Hardison can tell the story just as well as I can, and I need to get back to Jakey." Eliot stood. "I promise I won't go homicidal on my baby brother," he said, rolling his shoulders, when it looked like Baird was going to protest. "I should be there when he wakes up again."

"Can we come back and see him too?" Cassandra asked timidly, exchanging a glance with Jones. Eliot jerked his chin towards the hall. "C'mon"

  


Eve watched Cassandra and Jones disappear with Spencer, brow furrowed. Spencer said he didn't do the kind of things in the stories anymore, but...

"Eliot's not gonna hurt them."

Baird turned to the woman called Parker in surprise. "Excuse me?"

"Eliot's not gonna hurt them," the woman repeated. "He'll get between them and anything that comes after them. Like you. You're their Eliot."

"I'm their Guardian. They're Librarians. I protect them. Or I should."

"You take the hits so they don't have to," Hardison says gently. "That's what Eliot does. He protects our family. He won't let anything happen to yours either."

Eve really didn't really know how to respond to that.

  


Eliot settled into the chair next to Jakey's bed. He'd pulled it close as he could without disturbing any wires or putting the chair actually on the bed. Settling a hand on Jakey's knee, Eliot sighed.

"How did we get here, Jakey?"

He didn't expect an answer from his sleeping little brother, and he didn't get one. Eliot didn't mind, Jake needed his sleep.

"I promise we won't ever do so long without speaking again. I didn't mean for it to happen that way. Things are gonna be different this time, Jakey. Especially with your soldier lady looking out for you. I'm glad you have her, I really am, Jake. You're lucky."

Outside the room, Eve Baird listened as Spencer became a different person with his brother. There was no sign at all of the monster from the stories. Maybe being the Librarians' Eliot wasn't so bad a thing to be.

FIN (for now)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading, lovelies! Again, let me know what you thought in the comments! I love to hear from you all, and I treasure every comment/review, and/or kudos. I am not sure if I will be adding on to this. I have some vague ideas, but nothing that has really come together. Until next time!


End file.
